The Great Mouse Detective--Fear or Protection?

As I wrote on my regular blog, I saw a mouse this week in my living room. My first reaction? Panic. I have a ten-month-old baby who crawls to every corner of the house--what if he got into droppings and somehow got infected with whatever the mouse might be carrying? Where on earth would I put traps where he wouldn't find them?

My life instantly became overwhelmed by fear. I was scanning every room before entering, and never stopped checking every corner as often as I could. I was even more wary when I put Grant down to play. Worry consumed my every thought, even though we put out traps and cleaned up every crumb we could find. I knew there was nothing more we could really do to protect our son, so why was I so worried? Because there is a lot we can't control in life.

I've been thinking--do I wish I didn't know about the mouse? Like Jake told me, chances are that it's been in our living space for a while now, but since I didn't know about it I went about life normally. I wasn't riddled with fears every moment because I had no clue that there was anything to even be afraid of! Is that the better way? Ignorance? Of course not! The better way is to know that the mouse is there so that I can now actively fight it. I can't protect my baby from something I don't know exists, but now I can. I don't really like it, but I'd never pretend to think that ignorance would somehow be better than this. Grant still has no clue, and that's fine. I'll take care of the work and worry!

I've also been thinking--do I wish I didn't know about Satan or his horribly wicked, clever, scary tactics? I have to admit, sometimes watching the news is unnerving and makes me wish I could just live in a bubble. But would ignorance or pretending that he isn't real ever suffice? Of course not! So now I'm faced with the fear of raising a family in a degenerate and frightening world, and sometimes it feels like that fear might consume my life. But this is the better way! It is the only way, because now I can actively fight against him and prepare my children as well as I can. I can't protect my children from something I don't know exists, but now I can. I don't enjoy the fear or the reality of Satan, but knowledge of him is really a way Heavenly Father helps protect us against him.

Look at the rest of the world! So many people struggle and suffer and fall for his traps simply because they never knew.

Here are a few of Lehi's words to his son, Jacob, in 2 Nephi 2:

5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they ^aknow good from evil.
17 ...an ^aangel of God...had ^bfallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a ^cdevil, having sought that which was evil before God.
18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind.
26 And the ^aMessiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may ^bredeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are ^credeemed from the fall they have become ^dfree forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon...

27 Wherefore, men are ^afree according to the ^bflesh; and ^call things are ^dgiven them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to ^echoose ^fliberty and eternal ^glife, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be ^hmiserable like unto himself.

Because we have been instructed sufficiently and are given all things necessary to succeed, we are free! We will undoubtedly face fear, but we can fight that fear with our faith in Jesus Christ. Through Him and with Him we can never be forced to follow Satan or become miserable like he is. If we were to live under the false pretense that there is nothing wrong, we would be denying ourselves all of the protective abilities that come with knowledge. Knowledge truly is power. Through awareness and understanding of truth, and especially through the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, we have the power to act before the bad comes instead of just reacting to Satan as he throws things our way.

I guess I'll choose knowledge (that might cause me fear) over ignorance (that will surely cause unpreparedness), for in this is the protection that has the ability to save my family.